The 2026 NCAA Tournament is approaching the finish line as the road to the Final Four meets its conclusion in Indianapolis with two heavyweight matchups on tap in the national semifinals on Saturday. This year’s field features a little bit of everything, from Arizona making its first appearance in the Final Four since 2001, to UConn seeking its third title in four years.
The festivities from Lucas Oil Stadium begin on Saturday with No. 2 seed UConn vs. No. 3 seed Illinois (6:09 p.m. ET, TBS), in a rematch from a late November nonconference battle. The Fighting Illini are in the Final Four for the first time since 2005 as the program seeks its first-ever national title.
No. 1 seed Arizona faces No. 1 seed Michigan (approximately 8:49 p.m. ET, TBS) in the second game of the doubleheader, in one of the best semifinal matchups in recent memory. The Wildcats are led by their star freshman duo (Koa Peat and Brayden Burries), while Michigan features All-American forward Yaxel Lendeborg.
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The Wolverines are in the Final Four for the first time since 2018, as the program looks to add a second national title to the trophy case.
With the table set and the teams in place, let’s get into some storylines heading into Saturday’s Final Four action.
UConn is seeking history
UConn is just two wins away from doing something that hasn’t been replicated in over six decades. After losing to eventual national champion Florida in the second round last year, which denied coach Dan Hurley a three-peat, UConn is back in the Final Four for the third time in four seasons.
The last time a college basketball program won three titles in four seasons was UCLA. The Bruins won 10 national championships in 12 seasons from 1964-72. Hurley is now 17-3 in the NCAA Tournament at UConn after his team pulled off a shocking upset win over Duke behind a 3-pointer by Braylon Mullins with 0.3 seconds remaining.
It might be hard for UConn to top that ending, but it does have experience against Illinois this season. The Huskies beat the Fighting Illini 74-61 back in November.
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Michigan vs. Arizona is an all-time semifinal matchup
Last year’s Final Four was a treat for college basketball fans. All three games went down to the wire, including the national title game coming down to literally the final possession of the game. The nightcap between Arizona and Michigan has a chance to be even better.
Arizona and Michigan were ranked No. 1 and 2 in the AP Top 25 poll throughout the season before the Wildcats lost their first game against Kansas. Despite Duke getting the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, Arizona and Michigan were playing like the team to beat down the stretch.
This game features incredible bigs on both sides. From Michigan, you have Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara. On Arizona’s frontline, you have Koa Peat and Motiejus Krivas, who could both be taken in the first round of the NBA Draft this summer. The game will come down to who wins the battle inside.
Check out the full TV and streaming schedule for Saturday’s Final Four games below.
